Forbidden
by popperjenna
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia, the princess of Magnolia, comes across a peasant in the woods- Natsu Dragneel- who just might complete her fairy tale.
1. Chapter 1

She still remembered the day they met. It was in July, the weather was perfectly warm and the sky was perfectly blue. She often spent her summer nights in the forest, against her fathers wishes. He truly was a dreadful man to begin with, anyways. She remembered the way the pond sparkled, and she remembered suddenly seeing the man sitting on a tree branch, hunched over and staring at her. He was wearing baggy black pants tied together with a ratty looking rope, and no shirt (she also remembered how red her face got when she realized that). She also remembered his vibrant pink hair- which was extremely rare to see.

"Hello ?" She would call out, looking directly up at the strange boy. He didn't budge. She remember how angry she got that he was ignoring her whilst looking directly at her. "Speak to me." She would then order, but it wasn't returned with words. Instead, he jumped out of the tree and onto the ground, his eyes still piercing her. "Why do you ignore me ?" Her eyes stared right back at him, she didn't really know if it had the same effect his glare did.

She remembered standing and walking over to him, holding her gown up to stop it from dragging in the swampy grass. "Answer me." He eyed her with a look that made her think he would dart off, like a scared animal. "The woods are dangerous," he muttered, standing up finally- and he was tall, towering over her. She felt weak, but not intimidated. "You must be the princess." She's never been allowed in public, so its obvious he was guessing by her attire. She then realized this was the first person- who hadn't worked or lived at the palace- that she had met.

"You are ?" Her eyes were cold, but he gave off a warm aura. She kinda liked that. "A dragon." He commented as he stretched his arms out casually. She took a step back, for a moment she was beginning to think he was a tad bit nuts. "Dragons exist in fairy tales, dragons are not real." Her voice was almost amused. He smiled down at her, and she didnt know what that meant. "A peasant meeting a princess, is that not also from fairy tales ?" He sounded calm, confident maybe. "May I ask the princesses name ?"

"Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of the King." He nodded, satisfied that he was right. Somehow he seemed discouraged though, like he didn't really feel like talking to royal blood. "Natsu Dragneel." He took her hand from her side a shook it, which she found strange- and then funny. She remembered how warm his hand was. "Do you live here in the kingdom of Magnolia ?" She pulled her had away from his awkward grip. He nodded, and when a blue cat landed on her shoulder she had concluded that this was all a dream or hallucination. Especially after it spoke.

"Who's the blonde bimbo ?" She remembered how her jaw fell open and her eyebrows ruffled. It was as if she had forgotten it was a cat and was just straight up pissed at it. "This is Lucy." She liked how he referred to her by her name instead of her title, she was rarely called by her regular name. "This is Happy." He gestured towards the cat. She didn't remember exactly what she said, but it was something like 'I already don't like this cat'. It grew awkward between them as they realized they really had nothing to talk about- Lucy wasn't exactly the most skilled when it came to speaking to people, she hasn't done it much- and Natsu wasn't exactly the best at being respectful towards people.

She remembered how they sat together by the pond, just watching the sun make the water sparkle. "What's the town like ?" She would ask, not taking her gaze away from the beautiful sparkling water. "You're the princess, you don't know what your own kingdom is like ?" He gave her a quizzical look and she sighed, slumping her shoulders down. "I'm not allowed off of palace grounds until I take the throne, i've never been anywhere but these woods and the castle." He seemed sympathetic for her. "That's awful."

She remembered turning her head to meet his gaze, and like that their eyes clicked. They stared at each other, no words necessary. They examined each other. She remembered the way his nose went down to his lips. He remembered the deep color of her brown eyes, and the way her mouth pressed together as though she was thinking really hard. What she remembered the most was the urge she had to take his hand and just dance elegantly through the warm day. He remembered the urge to press his lips against hers. It was as if they were getting to know each other without actually speaking as they played the scenes out in their heads.

It could have happened, too. He was close to just going for it, but the fact that she was a princess held him back. She would have grabbed his hand and waltzed around if she weren't so damn shy. When she realized they were staring at each other, her face grew hot and she snapped her vision back to the pond. "I'm sorry." She was quiet, but he was still staring at her; now absorbing her side view. He was trying to burn the imagine into his eyes. She really was beautiful. He eventually looked away. "It's amazing in some kind of way." He looked away. She gave him a confused look.

"The town. It's amazing, lots of kind people. Beautiful cherry blossoms along the roads, rivers and what not. Its a great place to live." She smiled and looked down at her hands. "I'm glad to hear that, I was worried I was working myself up over it." His eyes trailed back to her, and they lit up. She turned to him, feeling his intense gaze. "I could show you," he grinned. It was the first time she saw his toothy smile, and she decided she liked it. Then what he had said sunk in. "I couldn't, I'm not allowed- just by going into these woods I'm lucky I'm not being caught." Her face was concerned, she frowned at the boy. "Besides, how do I know I can trust you ?"

He just smiled and looked back at the pond. "I guess you're right." He said nonchalantly. She was somewhat disappointed, maybe she wanted him to convince her. "How about tonight ? I could sneak out," she pushed forward, scooting herself an inch closer to him- but he noticed. He grinned again, and she felt herself getting lost again. "I'll be here." With that they shook hands, and she went back to the palace feeling more bashful than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

The day was long; it felt like an eternity to the poor blonde princess- and she was pretty certain it showed. She stared off into space while lectured by palace staff, walked through the halls just to burn time, she couldn't even eat she was so nervous. There were moments when she was dreading it, when she realized she had agreed to go out to a strange and unknown place with a stranger she had only just met. But then she'd think he wasn't a stranger, he made her feel like she had known him her entire life. Her excitement often overcame her fear, which, for the most part, was great. The more she thought about it the more her emotions flared and her mind soared.

But when the sun finally set, she was uneasy. Her excitement had, over time, faded into fear. She didn't really know this man, and oh what if she had gotten caught ? But she so badly wanted this; she finally felt like a princess living inside her very own enchanting fairy tale. When the lights were out and the palace was silent, she slipped out of bed. She put a long cloak over her night gown, flipped the hood up, and grabbed her purse- she would need that, right ? It made her feel safe, so she held it tightly at her side under her cloak. She tied her hair up into a pony tail and placed her tiara onto her nightstand. It was starting to sink in that she was going to finally see the town, and it felt great.

She walked onto the balcony and the cold air hit her; it felt great, like freedom. Then she began climbing down (which wasn't very hard, vines surrounded her balcony beautifully). When her bare feet hit the cold pavement, she couldn't help but smile. She hadn't been out in the dark before, and it was amazing. She concluded that she loved the nighttime. She pulled her cloak closer to her body and began walking over to the forest, and it felt like it took forever. When the trees came into view, she knew she couldn't turn back. Her heart was practically in her throat as she made her way into the forest. The pond was different at night, it had lost its sparkle she was so familiar with. That made her sad.

It wasn't exactly dark though, as the moon shone down on her. She concluded that she adored the moon. She almost passed out when she heard his feet hitting the leaves behind her. She turned back immediately as she held her heart. How long had he been waiting for her ? He seemed darker in the night- scarier even. Dragon like. His vibrant pink hair was not vibrant, but instead dark and lifeless. "What's with the bag?" He raised an eyebrow and she held the bag tighter. "Nothing. It's just incase..." Her words were shaky, but she felt comfortable with him now. "Just incase ? Do you have weapons in there ?" She widened her eyes, threw her hands up in defence and shook her head. "No ! No, I trust you ! It's just incase I get hurt or anything- first aid."

He smiled almost teasingly. "Come on," he reached his hand out and she took it without hesitation. It was warm in the cold night, and she felt like she would melt (in a good way). They were silent for the walk, but it was not a bad silence. It was as if words werent needed, they were just comfortable. When they finally approached a stone road, he gave her a look as if to say 'are you ready?' And she nodded. He pulled her gently onto the road, and a streetlight illuminated the pair. It was quiet, except for the faint laughter of some drunk men at what she assumed to be a bar (she had never been to one, but her father spoke fondly of them).

The first thing she noticed were the cherry blossom trees that shook softly in the breeze, and her mouth rounded slightly. Her eyes sparkled, and he looked at her and felt himself smile, too. She looked so innocent, like a child waking up on Christmas. After a few moments of silence while she was in awe, Natsu finally spoke. "Come on, let's go look around." He squeezed her hand, and thats when she realized they had been holding hands the entire time. She blushed a little bit, she probably looked stupid to him to be amazed by trees. "Right, sorry." She looked down, but he just smiled- and it was genuine. They walked through the street, and Lucy felt her gaze follow the rivers that separated the roads.

Lucy stopped walking when they were in front of a bar, causing Natsu to also come to a stop. "Can we go in ?" The lights were on and noise erupted from the building, it looked amazing to the curious princess. But Natsu just scratched the back of his neck. "That's probably not a great idea- places like that are filled with drunk men, not exactly ideal. You could be hurt." She frowned and nodded softly. "Not even for a second ? I just want to see," she pouted and looked up at him. How was he supposed to refuse ? He reluctantly took her through the door- and it was crowded. Her eyes lit up like stars, but he was rather uneasy about the vibe of the place. He pulled at her hand to go, but she didn't notice as her attention was turned toward a rather large man walking up to them.

"Welcome to Jacksons bar, how about I get you a drink ?" He smirked at Lucy, who, was at the time, flustered. Before she could speak, Natsu responded for her. "She's with me." His voice was low, a growl escaping his throat. It was strange, but Lucy could have sworn he was holding her hand tighter. "Let the lady speak for herself." He furrowed his eyebrows in disgust at Natsu and turned back to the blonde, a toothless smile on his face- Lucy tried not to giggle. "No thanks, I'm only here to lo-" she was interrupted by his rough grip on her breast, and her face was so red, it looked like it was about to explode. "They aren't bad lookin', why dont you come show me more of th-" this time he was interrupted by Natsus fist against his face.

Lucy jumped back, cowering against the wall. This had been her fault- but she did feel happy to see him standing up for her. It made her feel oddly special. "We're going." He grabbed her hand again and pulled her out, all eyes on the couple leaving the bar. "I should have listened to you- I'm sorry." She stared down at her feet as he tried to drag her as far away from the bar as possible. "Whatever, you were just curious. It's fine." But his mood was different from before, he seemed colder almost. She just nodded and stared at the ground until their pace slowed. "Thats one of the less amazing parts of the town, it's not all bad though.." He said, as if he might have scared her away from staying a while longer.

"No, really it wasn't so bad. It was a bit scary, but there's people like you here, too." She blushed a tad bad at what she had just said. He smiled, and she felt more at ease. They stopped after a while to sit down on a bridge rail, their feet dangling above the river. "I really enjoyed tonight," she stared at her toes as they moved back and forth. He nodded. "It feels kind of like a fairy tale, doesn't it ?" He looked over at her and grinned, but she just stared at the water and blushed. "Can we do this again ? Wednesdays I usually spend the entire day in the garden, maybe you could come to the palace and see it with me ?" She peaked over at him.

He seemed surprised, which scared her at first. "The palace ? What if someone saw me there ?" She just smiled, glad that his worry wasn't that big of a problem. "The gardens huge, there's a hedge maze we could hide in if necessary, but no one ever visits me whilst out there. It'll be nice to have some company." She looked up at the moon. He smiled softly at the sight of her looking up at the sky, and his hand moved itself onto hers. She quickly looked down at their hands together, and then at him. Their eyes met, thats when she became aware at how close they were. She could hear his gentle breathing, and he could hear hers. It wasn't long before they were both engulfed in the thought of going in for the kiss. It was the perfect scene. They leaned closer, their eyes closing slightly when their noses brushed.

Then, once she realized what she was doing- almost giving her first kiss up rather easily to a man she had just met- quickly pulled away and looked down. She pulled her hand away from his and her face was pink. He wasn't upset, he just smiled knowingly and looked at his own hands, his own face rather red also. "We should head back," her voice was soft and quiet in the night. They made their way back towards the woods, walking slowly to savour the time they had together. When they reached the pond, she turned to face him and smiled weakly, but couldn't find a way to regain her composure from earlier. "Thank you," she whispered before he pulled her into a gentle hug. She was surprised at first, but loved the warmth he provided

When they finally pulled away, they were both looking at each other with happy yet curious eyes. "I'll see you here on Wednesday...?" She asked quietly, her heart soaring. He nodded and grinned at her. "I promise." She grinned back, and her hand slowly slipped out of his own as she made her way back to the palace. Maybe she should have kissed him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was three days since she had last seen him, and it was as if her heart had calmed down. It was hard for her not to think of him though, and she often did. She liked him, like, a lot. Love hadn't really crossed her mind. She thoughtfully thumbed through her hair as she sat on the garden bench, looking around nervously. He would come today, right ? He hadn't forgotten ? Of course he hadn't. She hated herself for thinking so negatively. He liked her too, right ? She remembered their almost-kiss and blushed a deep pink as she gazed at the flowers. She was right beside the woods, hopefully where he would be able to spot her. She was wearing a poofy, light purple gown with ruffles and bows draped elegantly around it. Her hair was up in a curly bun, and her tiara sat on her head.

Maybe she was scaring him, maybe he was afraid he would get in trouble with the king... And he would if he had gotten caught. But she refused to let this happen, so he was fine, right ? Suddenly she jumped up from her seat when she heard the sound of something hitting the ground. It was Natsu. She grinned widely and ran up to him, engulfing him in a warm hug. And he was still warm, and she liked that feeling. "I thought you forgot," she softly breathed out. He pulled away and put his hands on her shoulders, a smile on his face. "How on earth would I ever be able to forget about us ?" She liked the way it sounded. Us.

She smiled and took his hand, leading him into the garden. It was sunny; the garden was gorgeous, flowers erupting from the bushes everywhere. He was wearing a tunic today- it was funny, almost as if he were dressing up for the palace. "You look handsome." She smiled as she pulled him gently to sit in the grass behind a large tree. He made a mental note to wear that tunic more often. "You look beautiful," she made a mental note to wear that dress more often. They were both flustered, but happy. "So, tell me more about yourself." She raised an eyebrow, and she was rater surprised by her question. "I want to hear about you, though." He smiled.

"I asked first." She let her hand find its way to his, and he gave up on arguing. "I grew up in the rural areas on the outskirts of Magnolia with my adoptive father, Igneel." She nodded, now looking up at the sky as she found it hard to focus while looking at him. "And one day he left, and didn't come back. I searched for him for quite some time and eventually made my way here in Magnolia, where i found some friends and a home." She gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry,"

"It's fine, not your fault." The atmosphere had gone heavy with an eery silence. "What do you prefer, hot showers or cold ?" This took him by surprise.

"Hot, you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Somewhere in between," she half laughed, and her laugh was the most beautiful think he had ever heard. How did he even get to be here next to the princess, again? "Now you," he leaned back against the tree, his gaze still intently on her. She hated it when he stared at her, but then again she loved it. "Theres not that much to tell, really." Her voice was soft and almost sad. "I grew up in the palace my whole life, not a lot happened." She felt boring and bland now, and she feared he wouldn't like her- but when she looked at him, he was smiling. "What about the king ? The queen ?" He could tell by the way her face fell it was a bad question.

"Mother was a beautiful lady, we really loved each other before her passing. She was soft, she would have liked you." She tried to put on a smile, but it was clear she didn't like thinking about it. "Father's... I don't know, he wasn't very polite when I was a child. I haven't really spoken to him a whole lot." Natsu seemed surprised by this. He wanted to change the subject, but was entranced by her revelations. "He doesn't come off that way, that's amazing in bad way." She nodded, but not because she agreed. Nothing about him was amazing. "Do you prefer night or day ?" His words were warm. She recalled the night they had spent together few days ago, and her answer was now obvious. "Night, you ?"

They spent the rest of the day going back and forth with useless questions like that, but they weren't useless to each other. They were dying to have more information about the other. She would show him the different flowers in the garden, pointing out her favorites. She wished she could say she was falling for him, but she had already fallen. It was hopeless for her to give up now. When the sun was setting, they were still in the same place; their voices chalky from speaking all day- but neither of them minded. It was just one more thing to remind her of him. They were leaning on each other, shoulder to shoulder. "I should probably go," his tone was quiet, like he didn't have the strength to be louder. She nodded, but not because she agreed.

He pulled a bundle of cherry blossoms from his pocket and pushed them into her hair. She was ecstatic; mainly because now she could plant cherry blossoms in the garden. Another thing to remind her of him. They stood in front of each other, feeling satisfied with the information they'd gathered. "When can we meet again ?" She said as she pulled him into a hug. He was warm, she was beginning to crave his warmth. "Tomorrow night good ?" She smelled like vanilla. He liked that, and craved it. She nodded into his shoulder. When they pulled away, they were once again inches from the others face. He knew better than to make her feel uncomfortable again, but he wasn't budging. Right when he showed the slightest sign of pulling away, she put both of her hands his cheeks and quickly pulled him to her lips- which he gladly smiled against.

When she pulled away, she was relieved to see him smiling. They didn't say anything else, and that was the perfect goodbye. When she got back to the palace, she was glowing- that was until Virgo, one of the castles maids, informed her that her father wanted to see her. The walk to his chambers was dreadfully long, she was worried the entire time that maybe he had found out. Maybe someone had seen them together and informed him. She stepped into his room sheepishly, shutting the door behind her. "Yes ?" Her voice was crackly, which she cursed herself for- he didn't think much of it. "Lucy, you are to be wed next month to prince Loke of the kingdom of Celestia. He's coming tomorrow to meet you, so be sure to dress appropriate- and don't wander off of palace grounds." She remembered how her heart sunk.

She wasn't about to tell him she was already in love and couldn't, if he found out about Natsu he would most likely take him into imprisonment and make him join the royal military. So she held her tongue and left the room without saying a word; her father obviously knew she had no choice whether she had said yes or no. "You will go out to the town for the first time tomorrow. Do not be sad, it pains me." Right. Two things wrong with that statement. She made her way to the garden, feeling rather sick. She had to find Natsu- she had to talk to someone about this. Would he still be in the woods ? He wasn't. She had searched around the pond, but was too afraid to venture off further. There was no sign of him; and so she sat on a rock and slumped down. Watching the water really wasn't as great without him by her side.


	4. Chapter 4

She was dreading the moment she would wake up. You know how it is, you're in the middle of an interesting dream- in her case, she was dreaming about Natsu- and the juiciest part doesn't get to finish and is instead filled with alarm clocks. She stared in the mirror, wearing an ordinary dress. Maybe it was pretty, she just really couldn't focus. Everything was happening way too fast and way too wrong. "Princess, the carriage is waiting for your arrival outside at the front door !" Virgo, her maid shouted from outside the door. She sloppily threw her tiara onto her head and bursted out the door; nearly knocking Virgo off of her feet. Virgo was friends with Lucy, although they didn't talk much they had a mutual understanding of each other. Virgo used to read her bedtime stories as a child, usually fairy tales. Lucy loved fairy tales.

Virgo just looked at the girl knowingly- it showed that she didn't want to be married (at least not to him). She rushed up to her and steadied her tiara, offering a remorseful smile. "Maybe he'll be handsome ! Maybe he'll be a real catch." Virgo made an attempt to cheer the blonde up, but Lucy just nodded and stared at the ground. When Virgo patted her back, she got moving. Her heels clicked against the marble floors of the castle, echoing where no one could hear them. You could almost hear her sadness in the sounds that bounced off of the walls. Virgo accompanied her on the way to the door, and before they opened it Lucy turned to her maid and gave her a bitter hug. Then the doors let the sun hit her skin.

There he was in the carriage. He wasn't what Lucy was expecting, but she wasn't intrigued either. It was more of an 'oh, cool' situation. He had spiky orange locks that seemed decently long, kind of like a middle-school boy who refused to cut his hair. He smiled nervously at Lucy, and it was starting to creep her out (not in a 'oh my god he's going to rape me' way, but a 'is he scared of me or something?' way). She walked up to the carriage, taking his hand as he helped her up. When they were sitting and the carriage was rolling, it was eerily silent until he finally spoke. "I was told this is your first time outside of the palace walls ?" He still seemed nervous. It kind of annoyed her.

She rested her face in her palms and nodded with a boring sigh, which caught him off guard. "You're not excited ? It's going to be a big moment, they're holding a parade in honor of our engagement." Her head flew up and her eyes grew wide. "What ? The citizens know ?" When he nodded her face grew pale. Natsu must have heard about it then. "They're all excited, you know. None of them have ever met their princess, and soon to be queen." She nodded hesitantly, but she still didn't like the news she had just heard. Oh Mavis, he probably hated her. He probably thought she was just leading him on.

When the carriage came to a stop, Lucy could hear the chatter of the towns folk awaiting her 'first' appearance in public. He held his hand out for her to take, but when she imagined Natsu seeing her holding another mans hand... She just didn't want that. She just stepped out and acted like she hadn't noticed his gesture. Maybe Natsu wouldn't be there, Maybe he didn't even live in the town; maybe he lived near the woods. She was in awe at the amount of people before her. Childrens eyes lit up, little girls pointing and smiling. Applause burst out through the crowd, and she felt like squirming away when Loke put his arm around her shoulder. "They're all very excited to see you, you should wave. Smile." He whispered to her as he waved to the crowd.

She lifted her hand and waved wearily, a small smile sat upon her face; but she really couldn't focus. She'd catch glimpse of the pink cherry blossoms and think that it was his hair. She would smell the faint smell of smoke and fire and her mind would travel to the warmth that he provided. The crowd eventually dispersed enough for the two to slip out so they could wander around. He held his arm around her shoulder the whole time, treating her like a baby as he pointed to the cherry blossoms and explained how they're everywhere in this town. She already knew all this, she'd already seen them with Natsu. The night shadowed the town, and Lucy was unsure if she were happy or sad to have not run into him. She couldn't really process her emotions.

They sat at a bar, which, because of them, was incredibly crowded. She wasn't ordering anything, she just sat there and watched him drink. Lots of fun. She examined the empty bottles on the shelves behind the counter, finding it strange that people would use bottles as decorations. That's when she saw him walk by. Behind the counter. They locked eyes, he looked at her over his shoulder and she felt chills down her spine- until she realized it wasn't her he was staring at. It was him. His eyes were set on Loke, and this made Lucy kind of uncomfortable. Was he sizing him up or something ? "I need to go use the washroom," she commented to her fiancé, but he just nodded her off as he laughed with some of the towns people. She instantly stormed up to the boy in the corner.

"Natsu." Her voice was quiet, but some people were already watching the elegant princess from the moment she excused herself. He looked at her nonchalantly, the same way he did when he first met her in the woods. Interesting but not particularly infatuated like he had been that night by the water. "He's handsome." Natsu shrugged as he stuck his hands into his pockets. Lucy gave him the most horrified look. "That's it ?" Her eyes pierced into his, and she could feel herself almost shaking with anger. "I've been worried about seeing you this entire day, completely ignoring this prince, and the only thing you have to say to me is 'he's handsome' ?" She furrowed her eyebrows, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "What do you want me to say ? I'm happy for you. You're getting married to some dreamboat. You want me stop you ? That's not exactly in my power." He looked almost equally as angry, but he tried to look away from her.

Everyone was staring. The entire bar was watching the pair argue. "I want you to show some type of concern ! I thought you cared for me as I did for you !" Her mouth hung open, her mascara leaving a black trail down her cheek. "I do- Do you think i'm stupid ?" He furrowed his eyebrows and stopped up taller. She felt Lokes hand on her shoulder; an obviously confused Loke. He didn't think she would know anyone out here. "You're such an idiot-" he punched him. Natsus fist came in contact with the princes face- not quite sending him flying, but blood began to flow out of his nose. "NATSU ! WHAT THE HELL ?" She yelled, kind of shoving Loke back away from the man. "You wanted me to watch another guy drape himself over you?!" She could feel the heat radiating off of him. Dangerously warm. "He didn't do anything wrong, you idiot ! This marriage was arranged !" He felt himself shrink with shame. He never thought about the fact it was most probably set up without their choice.

Guards were bursting in before Natsu could say anything- he looked like a scolded puppy. They grabbed him and restrained his arms, pulling him out of the bar. Lucy felt foolish for not wanting him to be taken to the palace. Dread filled her when she realized just what had happened. He was either going to fight in the war or be beheaded- Lucy didn't want either. She stormed out of the bar and chased, but they were long gone. She felt her heel snap as she fell onto the cold pavement and buried her face into her hands.


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of her bare feet hitting the stone floors echoed through the empty halls. When she reached the chamber entrance, she was nearly out of breath. The guard looked at her and his face softened. "Let me in." Her voice was dry, like she had been crying. He glared down at her with a neutral expression. "I'm afraid I can't do that without order from the king." He knitted his eyebrows together. Her breathing was rapid, exhausted from running all the way here- and to be rejected. "The king sent me," she lied. He shifted his position. "I need indirect order from his majesty." He eyed her. He obviously wasn't buying her little story. She straightened her back and puffed out her chest. "I have order from the king to retrieve a criminal who is to be hung." He shook his head, refusing her once again.

Then the guard was sent flying to the floor, passed out from being hit in the head. Her head whipped around immediately. A man with coal black hair stood there holding a crowbar. A sense of fear rushed over her, how did he get into the palace ? He eyed her before lowering his crowbar and shrugging. "You must be the girl he met in the woods. Wouldn't have guessed i'd be the princess." Her fear disappeared in an instant. He had to be on her side, right ? She nodded. "He spoke about me ?" She stepped back a tiny bit and looked up at him sheepishly. "Yeah, he wouldn't shut up. Didn't believe him myself, I may have just lost a bet." He scratched the back of his neck. "You're here to free him, correct...?"

This was all a surprise to Lucy. She hadn't really thought of how hr must've known other people. Of how they were in such different worlds. "He sure as hell can't get out himself." The man finally pushed Lucy aside and cracked the wooden door open with his crowbar. He began to go down the stairs when she followed. "Where will you bring him ? He can't just go back to the town," she pulled her dress skirt up, finding it difficult to keep up. He looked at her over his shoulder with disinterest. "We're all moving out to Fairy Hills, it's a town near here where we grew up." All. So there were more of them. That also meant Natsu would be out of her contact...

"Gray-sama ! I've found the keys !" They both turned to see a blue haired woman rushing down the stairs at a ridiculous speed. Why did they all have such funny hair colors ? She stopped infront of him and eyed the blonde with disgust. "You're... You're flirting with him ?" Her fist grew tighter around the keys and Lucy threw her hands up. Gray snatched the keys and sighed, continuing to make his way through the damp cell halls. The two girls followed quietly, but Lucy felt uncomfortable at the girl staring at her every step of the way. "I'm not interested in him," she would whisper quietly to the girl but it would never stop the intent stares and grunts.

Finally the moment came, and they stopped infront of his cell. He was sleeping, and his whole body seemed bruised. Gray turned the lock and threw the keys through the door and at Natsu, causing him to jolt up. He seemed angry at first, like he was ready to fight as he pulled his arm back to throw it right back at the man, but his eyes fell on Lucy. He knitted his eyebrows together and lowered his arm. "Why did you take her ?" He sounded cold, like he wished she would just disappear. She was at a loss for words, and rage suddenly bubbled up inside her. Gray opened his mouth to make a snark reply but Lucy interrupted. "Why do you hate me so badly now ?" She balled her hands up in fists and walked through the cell door. He inched backward a bit.

"Why do you keep coming back.." His tone was now dark instead of cold. It was like a dog left in the rain. She puffed her chest up filling with anger. "Why ? Ever since that damn engagement you've been completely ignoring the fact that i've fallen in love with you !" She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. She stepped back, her chest falling and her fists breaking and falling weakly at her side. "God, Natsu. Be selfish for once." Gray called out harshly from the side, but Lucy didn't really care anymore. She couldn't believe the pink haired boys attitude towards her. She turned around and walked out of the cell. "Take care of him." She muttered as she passed by Gray and began walking away from the scene. The blue haired girl looked from Natsu to Lucy and pointed towards the boy. "Juvia thinks Natsu should learn how to treat a lady !" She furrowed her eyebrows together and chased toward the blonde.

Natsu jumped up and jogged to the door as he watched the blondes figure disappear. "She's not wrong, you do suck." Natsu shot him a look before looking back down the hall. "Don't get lost or caught or anything stupid. Just go say goodbye her and regroup in the woods." Natsu didn't like the idea of goodbye but he began darting down the hall to catch her before she hated him more.

"Juvia knows how you feel, shockingly, Juvia too is in an unrequited love." She tried to gain the blondes eye contact, but she just stared at the ground and continued walking. "Natsu's never been good around woman, don't take it too harshly." She continued to watch the girl, but she showed no response. She was angry over every other emotion; how could he be so cold towards her ? Was he angry at her for causing him trouble ? What had happened to the boy she knew ? "It's not like I had a chance with him anyways," Lucy sighed. Juvia looked over at her and offered a timid smile. When they reached the steps, the sound of Natsus feet hitting the cold floor was ringing in the girls ears.

She glanced over her shoulder, and Juvia slipped away from the scene and skipped up the stairs; eager to leave the two alone.

She might've whispered 'good luck' to Lucy, but she wasn't paying attention. He was panting, one hand on his knee and the other in his hair. He looked at her sadly, with much intent. "I don't want that to be your last memory of me." She narrowed her eyes and listened to his pained voice. She would have walked away right then if he hadn't looked so helpless. "I'm sorry, I just think it'll be better for you if you forgot about me. It's not about my personal preference or what I want." He made hand gestures, which Lucy linked to him being nervous. He was obviously nervous. "Do you care for me or not ?" It came out ruder and more rushed than she had intended, but it worked. His shoulders sunk.

"I don't want to make you love me anymore than you already do, Luce. It's only going to mess things up more." He sounded defeated. She looked down at the ground without making a noise. "You've already messed me up. I just want a straight answer." She turned herself fully towards him, coming closer to look up at his dark, twisted eyes. He looked down at her lustfully, when finally he pulled her faced towards his into a passionate, long, meaningful kiss. They broke only for breaths, and soon Lucy was easily melted into his embrace. She felt his tears fall against her face, obvious he had been holding them in for far too long. When he broke away he buried his head against her neck. She felt like he understood, but it still felt awful. "Was that your goodbye...?" Her voice was soft. She brushed her fingers through his hair, and he loudly sobbed against her and nodded gently.

"I'm sorry." He pulled away to look into her eyes, his arms still holding her in a warm embrace. His eyes held pain. "Take me with you." She stared down at his chest to avoid eye contact. They both knew this couldn't happen, that she was needed in the kingdom. "Thank you for showing me what it is to fall in love," She let out a small laugh, but it was obviously forced. He brushed some hair away from her face. "It hurts more than I would've thought." She wiped the corner of her eye, not wanting to cry until he was gone. He was here now, but now was always moving and shifting. "Natsu, we're getting ready to flee. Mornings coming soon, we have to go." Grays voice called from the top of the stairway. Their eyes locked on each others. "Let me come," she whispered painfully and fell against his chest. He lightly played with her hair. "I'll see you someday." He promised, but they both knew it was not something that was easily going to happen. He walked her up to the stairs and gave her another kiss.

No words were uttered, and he was off. She watched every step he took and counted them. How she envied to be by his side. "Thank you," she mumbled to herself. "For giving me my own fairy tale." The words floated through the air, and she reached up to her face to feel tears falling.


	6. Chapter 6

The blonde woman sat by a pond in a forest, not sure if she enjoyed the peace or not. The water trickled as she played with her hair, braided it, pulled at it and hummed. It was a warm day, flowers were blooming and the sounds of children playing could be heard all over the kingdom. She looked down at the water, where different cherry blossom petals floated to her. She let her hands fall in between her knees. Her engagement was called off a year ago when the Celestia king realized our trading situation with other kingdoms was rough, and did not want that ruining their name. Lucy didn't mind, it didn't matter whether she had gotten married or not. It had been exactly two years ago, on this day, that she had met that strange boy.

She would sometimes wonder if that all really happened. The outrage of his escape afterwards was a pain, and Lucy had suffered greatly for it. Her father immediately pointed fingers at her, and she didn't bother to deny it- it was painfully obvious. She'd spent months under strict surveillance, and had even been beaten by some of the higher class guards when she was found near the woods; but that was all part of being a princess. A depression seemed to loom over Magnolia for quite some time following that. Everything eventually cleared up around the time that the engagement fell out of order. Her father scolded her harshly for the engagement breaking off, too. He refused to see the state that the town was in and solely blamed it on her attitude.

Lucy probably would have fallen for the prince, he was quite charming and polite, if it weren't for the fact that she had still been quite hung up on Natsu. The days would drag out before her, each without seeing the boy who had made the promise- just as expected. She wished she could say she received letters or visits, but she didn't. She liked to think that he was waiting for her in the woods when she wasn't allowed to go near them and she had missed him. She knew that wasn't the case, but she liked to think that he hadn't forgotten about their little teenage romance.

Everyday she had spent in the garden, she would sit under the cherry blossoms she had planted so long ago. The pink petals reminded her of his gentle hair. The wind rustled the blondes hair through the breeze as she let her eyes close. Thought hard enough, she could hear the 'thump' of him hitting the ground. The leaves rustling. The look he would give her. Sometimes she would even think about going to visit them, but that was a hopeless idea from the sound of it. She had loved and lost, and fatefully accepted it. She still played the scene of their goodbye dramatically in her head. The way his kisses would spark against her lips.

She looked down to her side, not as fazed as she should've been to see a familiar blue cat rub against her. She pet behind his ear, smiling softly at the creature. "How's your new town ?" She hummed softly and pet the cats hot fur. A cold 'meow' responded to her, and she understood. It was still the closest she had got. "Tell him I miss him very much," she whispered to the cat, glancing down at it from the corner of her eyes. The cat responded with yet another loud 'meow'. If it were Happy, she was sure he would be squeaking out insults by now. She chuckled softly and the cat jumped away from her to stare at her with suspicion. Maybe the cat had been black. It let out a snarly meow, and Lucy just smiled as the cat made its escape. Her head whooshed around when she heard leaves rustling behind her.

It wasn't Natsu. It was woman with deep red hair, she looked like a fairy. Lucy stood up almost in self defence. "You're Lucy Heartfilia ?" She looked at her up and down. Lucy nodded quickly, heart heart jumping out of her chest. "You're 19, correct..?" Lucy nodded feverishly once more. The woman closed her eyes and smiled, holding out her hand. "Do you still wish to come with us ? Now that you're legally an adult we're able to take you, sorry for making you wait so long." Lucys eyes widened. "You're... You'll take me to Natsu ?" She nodded calmly, and Lucy quickly took her hand. "Where is he ? Why didn't he come to get me?" She said sheepishly, feeling a little bit embarrassed to admit she was a tad bit upset it wasn't him. "He's an escaped criminal here, not exactly safe. He wanted to, but the journey is quite long so someone was bound to notice him. He sulked quite a bit. I'm Erza Scarlett, the strongest of our small community. It was decided me escorting you would be best." Lucy understood.

"You're sure you still have the ideal to leave your palace and live with us ? I don't want this to be a quick decision, I can give you time." Lucy shook her head, holding on tighter to Erzas hand. "I've been waiting to do this ever since you're departure from the kingdom." Erza smiled down at the blonde. She used her free hand to throw her tiara into the muddy water.

The journey was painful and long. Lucy's feet were in blisters; they were walking for three days straight to get to the village they now lived in. It gave Lucy plenty of time to think about what she would do first - what she would say. She thought about how warm he was, and wondered if he still was to this day. She thought about what he would look like now; Lucy had grown a little taller since they'd last kissed, her hair had also reached a point where it was hard to put up in a bun. She wondered if he still preferred hot showers. She thought about how passionate their kisses were. She thought about the way his tears pressed against her cheeks the last time they were in an embrace. She thought about how she finally understood he didn't want to let go of her. She thought about him. A lot.


End file.
